Conventional computing systems only provide utility when they are in a “powered on” state, that is the computing system is up and operating. Thus, when a computing system is in an off state or a standby (low power) mode, the computing system is unavailable and unable to perform processing.
Users or automated tasks, such as periodic updates of information, often desire immediate interaction with a computing device. However, a severe drawback of the conventional computing device is the time it takes for it to become available when the computing device is not on. Conventional systems that are off, in a standby mode, or experiencing faults are not ready for use and must be booted, or awakened from the standby mode, or rebooted to clear the fault. The boot/awakening process may vary from a few seconds to tens of seconds. One solution is to leave the computing device in an on state. However, this leads to increased energy consumption and computing devices that are in an on state generate heat and acoustic emissions, which may not be acceptable in many environments.
Another drawback of conventional portable devices is that they can be cumbersome on inconvenient to prepare for use. For example a laptop may need to be taken out of a bag, and unfolded to gain access to information. It would be beneficial if such devices included an edge mounted, or other auxiliary display, that could be glanced at while still in the bag, and certainly would not require the laptop to be opened.
In addition to the above, conventional computing systems are now being used to implement features that have traditionally been implemented in stand-alone devices. For example, conventional computing systems are being used to implement digital video recorders (DVR), audio playback, telephony, etc. The addition of these features requires that the computing system is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week because the system may be asked at any time to record a television show, playback music or attend to an incoming or outgoing telephone call.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method of providing a computing system that can be placed in a low power state, while remaining able to process low intensity tasks. The present invention provides such a solution.